
Book -^.J2Ct£JLS 

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DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL 



AND 



OTHER CHILD VERSE 



BY 
LA FAYETTE LENTZ BUTLER 



PRINCETON, N. J. : 

THE FALCON PRESS 

1907 



I tiaiSARY of CONGRESs] 
I I wo Coul&s deceived | 
I CZ\ 30 »90/ 
I CopyDfM Entry 

CLASS // XXc, No. 

copy Q. 



Copyright, 1907, 

BY 

La Fayette Lentz Butler 



TO HIS DADDY 

are these verses affectionately 

dedicated 

by 

one Zi'ho never zcas his little girl 



CONTENTS. 

Daddy's Little Girl 

In Our Garden 

Rainy Sundays 

At Night-time 

Query 

My Polly Dolly 

The Fairies 

When Jimmy Came 

When Mother Plays 

By the Cool-Spring 

Grandma 

An October Reminiscence 

At Christmas-time 

Wading 

Company 

Spring and Stars 

The Sweet-Peas 

Sunday Evenings 

Coasting 

Making a Path 



DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL. 

Daddy's little girl am I 

I don't know just the reason why, 

We roam together hand in hand 

E'en to the wondrous Story-land ; 

He often holds me on his knee 

And tells of folks I'd love to see, ' 

Red Riding Hood, and old Sinbad ' 

And all the troubles that he had. 

Likewise of many fairies fair 

And sprites who flit about the air ; 

Then, too, about some warriors bold — 

I wish I knew all he has told. 1 

Sometimes we take a pretty walk i 

And listen to the birdies talk, 

I do not know a word they say — 

But Dad, he tells me right awa}- 

For he can quickly understand 

The language of the Birdie-Land. ; 

Again we often take a look \ 

Across the highest mountain's nook, ; 

And see the bears drink from a cup J 

When both our eyes are sharpened up. ' 

Really, this I've never seen 

But Dad has — for he's tall and lean. 

Yet I pretend I see them, too \ 

Of course, I cannot, really true. 

I don't know just the reason why ] 

But Daddy's little girl am I. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



IN OUR GARDEN. 

It's so nice in our garden 
Where many a flower grows, 
The little white-dressed lilies, 
The pretty red-faced rose. 

The smiling gay-clad tulips. 
The slender tall sweet-peas, 
It's so nice in our garden, 
But it's lovely in our trees. 

For there I climb when hiding 
From witches, whom, they say 
Look out for little girlies 
To take them far away. 

I'm not so frightened at them 
Although, perhaps, they roam, 
I really climb to wait and watch 
My Daddy coming home. 



AND OTHER CHILD \'ERSE 



RAINY SUNDAYS. 

When we have rainy Sundays 
And one can't go outdoors. 
Dad and I, to the nursery 
Steal off, to play of course. 

And, while the pitter-patter 
Without, keeps making noise, 
We get out dolls and paper-books 
And lots of pretty toys. 

We think it's awful naughty 
To play on such a day. 
But still we both enjoy it 
And laugh the rain away. 

Sometimes my mama scolds Dad 
For teaching me such ways, 
But Dad and I, we like them — 
Those rainy Sunday days. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



AT NIGHT-TIME. 

I like it when the night comes 
For that's the time, you know, 
When Dad and I, together, 
Up to my beddie go. 

And after I have crept in 
And said my little prayer. 
Dear Dad sits down beside me 
And tells tales, wondrous, fair ; 

Of fairies and hobgoblins. 
And n3aiiphs that dwell in trees, 
And good and kind young princes, 
Or sailors on the seas. 

Then I play we are sailing. 
And oh — how^ nice it seems 
As we speed on so quickly 
To that fair land of Dreams. 

But when the golden sunglow 
Peeps through the window-pane, 
^ly old ship has sailed backward 
To my little room again. 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



QUERY. 

Dear Daddy, do you really think 

A man's up in the moon, 

Who, just like you, can eat and drink 

And sing a jolly tune? 

And do you think there's only one 

Within that moon so fair; 

If so, I guess he has no fun 

And must be lonely there. 

Perhaps he has a little girl 

About as big as me. 

And, perhaps, he likes to pull her curl 

As you do mine — you see, 

I wonder if she's very good 

And loves her Daddy, too, 

I'm sure though that she never could 

Love him as I love you. 

Although it may be bright and gay 

Up there among the stars, 

I think I'd rather live and play 

Within this world of ours ; 

Unless that little girl I'd be 

To watch the starry view. 

And the old man, of course, you see, 

Dear Daddy, would be you. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRT. 



MY POLLY DOLLY. 

I've got a little dolly 

With the cutest sort of head, 
I long since named her Polly, 

She goes with me to bed. 

She's not like Jimmy brother 
For though she has a voice. 

And speaks to me, her mother, 
At night she makes no noise. 

For when I hear Jim crying, 
I'm 'fraid he'll wake her — oh— 

Yet spite her hardest trying, 
She says but ''Yes" and "No." 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



THE FAIRIES. 

Dad says that fairies often fly 
About both night and day, 
Not only in the starry sky, 

But near me, when I play, ] 

And gently whisper in my ear ■ 

Words oftentimes I cannot hear. j 

] 

They have transparent, silver wings, j 
And listen all the while 

To each girl as she talks and sings ; 3 

And they quite gladly smile [ 

When girls are good ; but when they're bad ,^ 

The fairies go away so sad. ' 

And if you're very, very good i 

They kiss and call you dear, i 

But if you don't do as you should \ 

They sometimes shed a tear, "; 
I've never seen them, but I'll try 

And do what's good, and keep them by. j 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



WHEN JIMMY CAME. 

When Jimmy came to our house 

So many years ago, 

He was a tiny, tiny boy 

Who didn't even know 

I was his sister, couldn't talk. 

Nor even play, and much less walk. 

When first he came to our house. 
My little Jimmie brother, 
Whenever I would start to sing, 
**Hush, hush," would say my mother 
"He's fast asleep, and, dear, such noise 
Is not good for such tiny boys." 

Since Jimmie came to our house 

He's grown big and tall, 

It seems as though he never were 

A baby boy at all : 

And now he's three, and speaks my name 

Like I do — oh — I'm glad he came. 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



WHEN MOTHER PLAYS. 

I like our big piano 
When mother sits and plays, 
On early twilight evenings, 
Or bright and sunny days. 

I like it best in Winter 
So dark and snowy-wild, 
When Dad sits by the fireplace 
With me and Jimmy-child. 

As mother then starts playing 
In accents soft and low, 
We cuddle up to Daddy 
And watch the embers glow. 

And he tells glowing stories 
Of Knights in olden days. 
Oh, but I love such evenings 
When mother sits and plays. 



DADDYS LITTLE GIRL 



BY THE COOL-SPRING.* 

When Daddy, Jimmy-boy and I 

Go walking on the hilly side, 

Up to the rocks so very high, 

Where laughing, babbling waters glide 

We listen to the songs they sing. 

As they approach a cooling spring. 

They tinkle with the merriest sound 
As they wash o'er the mossy green. 
And murmur as they lightly bound 
And splash upon the rocks between, 
They sing a lullaby to birds 
Who dip and drink, — in sweetest words. 

They whisper melodies to trees 
Who guard them as they plashing flow. 
And sing, just like the busy bees 
Who mongst our honeyed flowers go, 
They beat on peebles for their drum 
Which gives the queerest little hum. 

* The cool-spring is a provincial term meaning the 
dam below the spring itself, where the water is 
caught. 



A N D O T H E R CHILD \' E R S E 



Oh, but 'tis sweet to sit and hear 
Those gentle merry songs they sing, 
That please the timid birdie's ear 
The trees, the flowers, everything. 
I dare not tell of what's their song 
If you would know — why come alon< 
When next dear Dad and Jim and I 
Go up to hear their lullaby. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



GRANDMA. 

I've such a nice dear grandma 
Whose Httle girl I am, 
Of course, I'm also Daddy's, 
But we call her — our "gram." 

She loves to knit me slippers 
To wear upon my feet. 
When I must play withindoors, 
Now, don't you think that's sweet? 

Her hair is gray and silver 
But pretty as can be, 
I hope that when I'm hei age 
I'll be as nice as she. 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



AN OCTOBER REMINISCENCE. 

While with a good kind teacher 
I have been greatly blest, 
I liked in those evenings, 
When Daddy taught me, best. 

For then he brought forth chestnuts 
For me to count and add, 
And, if I did the sum right, 
The chestnuts, all, I had. 

But, oh! in the subtraction 
I took away too many, 
And when I came for my share • 
I found I hadn't any. 

So novv^ I'm very careful 
And take away with care. 
Lest, when I do these problems, 
I do not get my share. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



AT CHRISTMAS TIME. 

I can hardly wait till Christmas 
To see our pretty tree, 
Trimmed with balls and tinsel 
And pretty gifts for me. 

For when into my beddie 
The night before I creep, 
Hard as I try, no matter, 
I cannot get to sleep. 

I don't want to scare Santa 
When chimney-down he comes, 
With dolls, for me, with dresses 
For Jimmy — little drums. 

Yet I'm 'fraid in his coming 
He might get burned quite bad, 
For flames glow in our fireplace 
And although I told Dad 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



He laughed and said he's fireproof 
This dear old Santa good, 
And that I shouldn't worry, 
But sleep soon as I could. 

And so at length I'm sleepy, 
But early in the morn, 
I'm up to see my stocking 
And blow my new-found horn. 

And march around the table 
Then see the tree, and play, 
I only wish that Christmas 
Came every other day. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



WADING. 

I love within the summer-time 
To seek a shady nook 
And take my shoes and stockings off 
And wade into the brook, 

The water rolls about my feet 
I feel it coldly run, 
I kick and splash, and I am sure 
I never had such fun. 

It's lots of sport when barefoot 
With shoes and stockings gone, 
I only do not like it when 
It's time to put them on. 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



COMPANY. 

Whenever we have company 
I sit up tall and prim, 
And keep as still as can be 
While watching brother Jim. 

I eat what's set before me 
And drink the water slow, 
And look out for the table-cloth 
And not spill things below. 

Nor must I feed our doggie, 
As Dad does on the sly, 
I don't know why I daren't 
For he must eat or die. 

I must eat dessert slowly 
And not ask any more, 
And only speak when spoken to, 
Not say a word before. 

Then fold my napkin nicely 
And wait till all are are done, 
It's nice when we have company. 
But nicer when there's none. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



SPRING AND STARS. 

When comes the gentle Spring-time 
With velvet-dripping rain. 
And little green buds on our trees, 
The birds come back again. 

They build up in the tree-boughs, 
So high, I'm scared lest they 
Might fall sometime from their nests 
To where I like to play. 

I wish I, too, with wings could fly 
Like they do near and far. 
If I but could, I'd go and see 
Each dainty little star. 

But as it is, I cannot, 
And so content must be 
To sit with Dad on our porch. 
And let them peep at me. 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE :\ 



THE SWEET PEAS. i 

Out in our sunny garden 

Grow dainty, shy sweet-peas, \ 

Who wear the quaintest dresses \ 

Which Dad calls Japanese. ] 

But when I looked them over \ 
I changed my mind, I guess, 
For each one on that morning 

Wore a kimono-dress. i 

i 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



SUNDAY EVENINGS. 

On Sunday nights I like it 
When Dad and I both steal 
Out to our dear old kitchen 
To have a pick-up meal. 

And when we thus go out there 
We sit no special place, 
We don't wear any napkins, 
We even don't have grace. 

But eat our little pudding 
And milk and cake as well, 
Then comes the very best thing- 
The stories Dad can tell. 



AND OTHER CHILD VERSE 



COASTING. 

When Winter comes, o'er by the barn 
I take my Httle sled, 

And coast down through the drifts of snow 
Till both my cheeks are red. 

I dash by Daddy's office, where 
He likes to work all day, 
Except the times when he steals out 
To join me in my play. 

And then he pulls me on my sled 
With lots of strength and force. 
Oh, he's so strong ; he really makes 
The finest kind of horse. 



DADDY S LITTLE GIRL 



MAKING A PATH. 

When wild north winds rattle our shutters. 
And cold frosts our big windowpane, 
When snow whitens up all our maples, 
And swirls round again and again, 
I like to go out with my shovel 
And dig a big path in the white 
From the porch to the gate, so that Daddy 
Will be able to get in all right. 

For oh, it would simply be awful 
If he should get lost on the way, 
'Twixt the gate and our big open fireplace, 
Out there where the tall maples sway, 
And oh ! how lonesome at evening 
If he couldn't kiss me as he had. 
So, you see, that's why I must shovel 
A path in the snow for my Dad. 



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